MigBuster 2,884 Posted September 18, 2013 Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh on Tuesday sketched out a dramatic tale of a lone F-22 Raptor chasing off Iranian fighter jets over the Arabian Gulf. The confrontation is the first publicized engagement involving the Air Force's most modern fighter and military forces of Iran. "When the combatant commander wants air power there is only one number to call," said Welsh, praising Lt. Col. Kevin "Showtime" Sutterfield. "Showtime is an Air Force Reservist … he flies the F-22. He flies it really well," Welso said. In March, an Iranian F-4 flew within 16 miles of an MQ-1 Predator flying off the coast of Iran until a previously undisclosed aircraft escorted the Predator to safety. It turns out that aircraft was an F-22, the Air Force's fifth generation fighter. "Did you guys see the news clip not long ago about the Iranian F-4s that intercepted a remotely-piloted aircraft out over the Arabian Gulf, and then they were warned off?" Welsh then displayed a picture of Sutterfield before a large audience of his fellow service members at the Air Force Association's Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition on Tuesday. "This is the guy that warned them off," he said. "He flew under their aircraft to check out their weapons load without them knowing that he was there, and then pulled up on their left wing and then called them and said ‘you really ought to go home.'" The successful performance of the F-22 comes after the Air Force was forced to repeatedly halt F-22 flights because F-22 pilots repeatedly reported blacking out from problems breathing. The problem has been a challenge for the Air Force but not one that prevented the service from deploying an F-22 squadron in April of last year to the United Arab Emirates' Al Dafra Air Base, an installation located about 200 miles from the Iranian coast. Air Force officials have not confirmed the exact location of the F-22s but have instead said they are located at a base in Southwest Asia -- a region that includes the UAE. Last year, Air Force spokesperson Lt. Col. John Dorrian stressed that the F-22s were simply taking part in a scheduled deployment and were "not a threat to Iran." Sutterfield's intercept of the Iranian jets was just one of many stories Welsh told of the courage, expertise and commitment Air Force personnel have shown over the last decade of conflict. "I'll never worry; not while these guys are on our team," Welsh said. "I'm excited about the future. We've got some things to figure out, and we will figure them out." http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/09/17/welsh-f22-flew-to-drones-rescue-off-iran-coast.html?comp=700001075741&rank=6 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+CrazyhorseB34 937 Posted September 18, 2013 Hell yes! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MAKO69 186 Posted September 19, 2013 Wouldn't expect anything less from a USAF Airman. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotrodss 0 Posted September 19, 2013 That's what I miss! Was deployed to Al Dhafra AB in '07...lovely place Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+CrazyhorseB34 937 Posted September 19, 2013 Reminds me of the song "WW3" by Dos Gringos! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGKJAKx979I 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dast24 138 Posted September 19, 2013 okay, thank you migbuster. now i want that new F-22 model for SF2! and you are responsible for that :-P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Stary 2,427 Posted September 19, 2013 ummm.... what was Predator drone doing there? also, didn't know that Arabian Gulf is part of sovereign USA, is it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeanba 1,920 Posted September 19, 2013 Is this a breathtaking news for the pilot ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+daddyairplanes 10,248 Posted September 19, 2013 ummm.... what was Predator drone doing there? also, didn't know that Arabian Gulf is part of sovereign USA, is it? No Stary, but it is an area we are interested in keeping an eye on. Glad they are finally getting some real world use....as for the Predator theory 1 is it's doing what U-2s or Sr-71s would be doing 20+ years ago. For theory 2, see Dos Gringos "They shot down a Predator"! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Stary 2,427 Posted September 19, 2013 hehe I'm just messing with you guys Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nesher 628 Posted September 19, 2013 awesome!! would have loved to see a clip of this incident :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jodandawg 18 Posted September 19, 2013 BAZINGA!!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
exhausted 55 Posted September 19, 2013 (edited) Watch out Iran. Your 21 flying F-14s aren't as cutting edge as they were even ten years ago. Your Phoenix and Sparrow batteries are dead -- boo, hoo. The radar signatures of every type of plane in your arsenal are recognized and logged -- exercise caution when turning them on. You're AD system will not see F-22s, B-2s, stealth cruise missiles, and will not kill anybody when they hit Predators. Your conscripted army will not support war with the USA because it will be laughably one-sided -- moral will go from bad to worse and your best and brightest will quickly surrender. Your pilots will all die and your sailors will be unemployed without any ships to man anymore. If you think sanctions are bad now, just wait until you can't export anything. Ayatollah, as your finger inches closer to the red button, just know you are perpetually only days from death. -USMC Edited September 19, 2013 by exhausted 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
